Lithuania Railway FDC

Lithuania FDC
Name: 150th Anniversary of Railway in Lithuania
Date of Issue: 08 August 2009

Denomination:
2,90Lt: The Steam Locomotive 0-3-0 and The Electric Train EJ575

In February of 1851 the government of tsarist Russia made a decision to build a railway line St.Petersburg–Warsaw, which in the territory of Lithuania had to stretch through Dūkštas, Ignalina, Vilnius, Lentvaris with the branch through Kaunas to Kybartai (Virbalis) also reaching the border of Prussia.

The works for railway line Daugpilis–Vilnius–Lentvaris–Kaunas–Kybartai (Virbalis) were started on 1 May 1859, and already on 4 September 1860 the first locomotive arrived to Vilnius from Daugpilis.

Traffic of trains by railway St. Petersburg–Kybartai (Virbalis) was opened on 15 March 1862, and on 15 December regular traffic to Warsaw started. The trip from St. Petersburg to Vilnius lasted almost 19 hours, from Vilnius to Kaunas – 2 hours 33 minutes.

The first vehicles for the railway St.Petersburg–Warsaw were bought in Austria, Belgium, United Kingdom and France.

While building the firs railway line St.Petersburg–Warsaw in XIX century the first train stations were built (21 station): premium class stations in Kybartai (Virbalis) and Lentvaris, first class stations in Vilnius and Kaunas.